Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-11-17
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL,

Professor ]. L. Budd Of the Iowa Ag-
ricultural College, has English walnut
trees growing from nuts bro ght from
Eastern Russia that have survived a
temperature Of forty degrees 3elow zero.
Signal-ropes for mines are on the Con-
tinent made of ditta metal, for the rea-
son that this metal resists corrosion. It
is said to have a tensile strength of more
than fifty tons per square inch Of sec
ton.
The Government of the State Of Yuca-
tan is making experiments with a view
to utilizing a new species Of silk which
is the produce of wild silkworm. The
silk in the cocoonsfis pronounced elastic
and Of excellent quality, though rather
uncertain in color, varying from white to
pale brown. 1t is covered with gum
which is difficult to dissolve.
German competitor in glassmaking has
led inventors in Belgium to study more
mechanical means Of doing the work.
The plan contemplated is to roll out
glass substantially in the same way that
iron or steel plates are rolled. The
sheets are to be rolled, cut into sizes, and
conveyed to the annealing oven. all by
machinery. "Shapes" may be rolled, it
is believed, the same as in iron or steel.
In addition to supplying crops with
the necessary moisture, rain has a distinct
manurial value. At Rothamsted, the
well-known farm of Sir John b. Lawes,
it has been shown that, with an annual
rainfall of little less than thirty-two
inches, each acre of laud receives every
year in the rain water over fourteen
pounds pure chlorine, seventeen pounds
of sulphuric acid, and between two and
three pounds of ammonia.
In one of his lectures before the Royal
Institute, London, Professor Lodge Illus
trated the lately discovered fact that
smoke and dust are removed by cleo
tricity by exhibiting couple of glass
Jars filled with smoke and dust, and
which were instantly rendered clear by
discharging through them a current Of
electricity. He makes the interesting
suggestion whether similar discharge
of electricity, on a large scale, over Lon
don would be as effective. "
An English writer observes that the
sense of hearing in some birds seems as
wonderful and discriminating as that of
smell in dogs. A thrush has been seen
to listen for worms, and very evidently
to hear them, too, though within two
Yards of a noisy lawn-mower; while
robins appear to be able to distinguish
the voices of their own offspring and
parents from number of others, and at
great distance. 1t is suggested that
such cases indicate the exclusive
direction of the attention Of sense"
rather than mere keenness.
It is asserted by Mr.. Ashburner, the
geologist, that not only is natural gas not
a modern or recent discovery, but that
even its utilization for the purposes of
the mechanic arts was long ago success
fully attempted in China, where, by pipes
of bamboo, it was conveyed from natural
wells to suitable furnaces, and by means
of terra Gotta burners Of suitable size
and construction was consumed. OF its
origin, concerning whichso many diverse
theories have been advanced, Mr.. Ash
burner is strongly Of the opinion that
the gas arises from the decomposition Of
forms of animal or vegetable life i'm
bedded in the rocks in certain situations.
A good deal has been said about the
effects of expansion and contraction in
connection with the Forth Bridge, due
to changes of temperature Mr.. Baker,
one of the engineers, recently remarked
before the British Association that a
large amount Of consideration had been
given to the question, and great many
observations had been taken on the sub
ject. Pockets were formed in the strue-
ture, and these were made to contain
water in which thermometers were placed.
1t was really surprising how great an eff
feet the different conditions hadin this
respect. That the two sides of the large
twelve feet tubes should be materially af-
fected when one was in the sun and the
other shaded was to be anticipated, but
one would hardly expect that one tube
would shelter another 100 feet distant so
as to materially affect it, but such was
the case.